Thursday, September 2nd, 2010
Oh Lord. Do you not think that these guys are the most adorable New York City police officers? Look at them, all doughy in he middle. They are the physical manifestation of what comes to my mind when I think of the NYPD. Cops either look like this pair or they look like Ice-T, a la Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Insert a doughnut and some coffee and we are golden. You can almost hear their New York accent from looking at them.
I am not sure how one gets Times Square duty. It seems that except when people are trying to plant car bombs, it’s a pretty good gig. That is, if you don’t mind getting your picture taken a gazillion times a day. There was a line to get near these two! A line, I tell you! With a police officer! I never heard of such a thing. When I was Paige’s age, I never wanted to step near an officer. Police = “the man” = bring a brother down = bad. Obviously, Paige is much smarter and likes to stay on the right side of the law. Right?
Posted in Daily, travel | 3 Comments »
Wednesday, September 1st, 2010
Paige has always been fascinated by the Alice in Wonderland story. It didn’t hurt that Johnny Depp was in the most recent film adaptation. That girl LOOOOVEEESS some Johnny Depp. Really now, who doesn’t? Did you see him in that John Dillinger movie? Huzzah.
The only beef I have with Alice in Wonderland is that inevitably your kid will ask you the big question – “What is a hookah?” One could respond with something like, “Well dear, it’s something imaginary that they made up for the caterpillar part. It’s not real.” But eventually, your kids will get smarter and will realize that you are talking in platitudes. That’s when you know the jig is up.
As a parent you can go down one of two roads: maintain the lie and build upon it OR tell the truth. I chose the truth – “Paige, hookahs are meant for sharing tea. That’s why they have so many straws. Duh.”
Okay. Maybe that wasn’t exactly the truth. But that’s the great thing about parenting – the job never ends. You can make a lot of mistakes and you still get to do it again tomorrow. It is the ultimate Groundhog Day.
At this juncture, Paige realizes that hookahs are not just for caterpillars. It’s pretty obvious that hookahs are not meant for tea either – no one that she knows would dare expose themselves to a potential “backwash” situation like that. Eeeew. Gross.
Obviously, I am still working on graceful answers to questions along those lines. Let’s just hope we don’t get started on the whole, “When Alice eats the mushroom …” discussion anytime soon.
Posted in Daily, Parenting | 4 Comments »
Tuesday, August 31st, 2010
On the day we were leaving we took an hour or so to walk through Central Park starting at around 72nd and Central Park West. We were tempted to rent a horse drawn carriage or a pedicab but in the end we decided to hoof it. This may have been our most brilliant idea ever. I can’t imagine getting “driven” through the park, you’d miss the spontaneity of stopping at Strawberry Fields or taking a moment in to watch the rowboats drift by. It seems like a silly way to see the park if you only have a couple of hours.
If we took a pedicab, we probably would never have come across the first annual Korean Food and Culture Festival – “Please come and feel familiar with the various selected Korean foods, cultural recreations and performances.” A thousand times yes, please. Seriously. Of all the days, in all the weeks of my lifetime, I go to New York City when there is a KOREAN FESTIVAL. The FIRST annual Korean festival at that. It’s like the City was calling out, “Kimchee is here! Chap chae! Bulgogi! Follow your nose, Giyen. To the Bandshell Terrace!”
Aside from the food, Paige and I also got to enjoy some traditional music and dancing. While in America, we like to make up little girls to look like Vegas showgirls and dime store hookers for pageants (Have you seen the show Toddlers and Tiaras?), we Koreans like to make little girls look like little Korean dolls.
Though philosophically I think it’s completely weird to put makeup on girls who are 6 or 7 – when they are so obviously lovely already – I can’t help but think these girls look adorable.
Posted in Daily, travel | 3 Comments »
